Slide fastener



937- J. J. VEILLETTEI 2, ,362

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Nov. 21, 1936 h INVENTOR '@7%g m,

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STAT ATENT OFFIQE SLIDE FASTENER Jeffrey JaVeillette, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application November 21, 1936, Serial No. 111,976

13 Claims. (01. 2477) This invention relates to a fastening device or Figure 11 is an elevational view of a fragment the like of a type comprising a slide member of a bathing cap illustrating the application of frame having a cross-bar dividing the frame into the buckle of the present invention to the strap a pair of substantially parallel openings through element thereof.

- which a strap may be threaded over and under Referring to the drawing, and particularly the bar so as frictionally to engage the strap Figs. 1,2, 3 and 8, it may be seen that the buckle with the member; and a fastening means of any of the present invention includes a slide member desired kind affixed to the member whereby the it comprising anopen frame having a diametristrap and the member may be removably atca-lly disposed cross-bar dividing the space within tached to any desired article. the frame into a pair of substantially parallel The principal object of the invention is to proopenings through which the end of a strap may vide a slide buckle of the type above defined havbe threaded under the marginal portions of the ing an ornamental shell affixed to and covering frame and over the cross-bar in such manner as the unsightly portions of the slide member and to result in a frictional engagement of the memhaving the cross-bar element thereof so disposed her and the strap, and a suitable fastener element with respect to the buckle that one of its ends (here shown as the socket portion of a convenmaybe sprung backwardly whereby to permit the tional snap fastener) by means of which the insertion of a strap edgewise into the buckle, and member may be removably attached to any dethen be sprung forwardly so as to secure the strap sired article; and a suitable shell affixed to and in desired relationship to the buckle. covering the slide member.

Other objects and various features of the in- The principal function of the shell in a buckle vention will be more apparent from the following as above defined is to hide the unsightly portions description when read in connection with the of the slide member and to provide a surface upon accompanying drawing, in which: which an ornamental design may be embossed or Figure 1 is a rear elevational View of a buckle t e w se incorporated; and further, to protect incorporating the principles of the invention; the somewhat delicate socket member of the attached to a suitable strap, certain parts of the snap fastener element a ains iden l dam strap being broken away better to how th con- Balanced against these desirable qualities is the struction of the buckle. fact that the presence of the shell materially Fig 2 is a, sectional iew taken on the line 2 2 interferes with the operation wherein the buckle of Fig. 1. is'engaged with a strap according to the well Fig. 3 is an elevational View of a slide member knownmode above set p y, W made in accordance with the precepts of the the e o the S p s passed d y through inventi n, one'zof the openings :in the slide member it be- Fig. 4 is a plan view of the slide m mb of comes almost impossible, because of the presence Fig. 3 looking downwardly, as indicated by the of the-shell, to get hold of the end of the strap and arrows 4 4, pull it across the bar and downwardly through Fig. 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5 5 the other p n n a s di i u y is ly of Fig. 3. enhanced when the strap is made of such highly Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a shell, in a elastic material as berpartly completed state, which is adapted to be The P invention p p es to avoid the assembled with the slide member of Fig. 3. difiiculties above s forth by so arra ing the Fig. '7 is a plan view of the shell of Fig. 6. cross-bar element that it has a free end portion,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an assembled Whichpwhen unconfined. Will normally sp in buckle, looking at the rear side thereof, showing backwardly from the e a p ane of the buckle the free end of the cross-bar element of the slide to P n eway through Which a Strap member confined between the flanges of the shell. ybe paSSed ed W e, and Which may be forced Fig. 9 is a similar perspective view of the comb into the plane of the buckle and suitably pleted buckle showing the free end of the crossengaged in this latter DGSitiOn h y to hold bar sprung rearwardly from the buckle to fo the strap in the buckle in the desired relationan opening through which a strap may be inship- Sertei Considering the preferred embodiment of the i Fig. 10 is an elevational view of the buckle of invention and first referring to 3, it will Fig. 9illustrating the insertion of a strap into the be noted t the Slide member 15 preferably buckle. comprises a single piece of spring-like sheet metal so stamped and drawn as to have a cross-bar l6 and a pair of supporting arms I1 affixed to the opposite sides of the cross-bar adjacent one end thereof, and extending outwardly and upwardly towards the other, or free, end [8 of the bar in such manner as to define a pair of substantially parallel slots I9 through which a strap may be passed, as will hereinafter be made clear. Preferably, the supporting arms are creslo cent, or arcuately, shaped and are so aifixed to the cross-bar that the outer edges of the arms lie on a common circle having a diameter substantially equal to, and at least as great as, the length of the bar IS. The center portion of the cross-bar is adapted to carry an attaching means of any desired kind, and as here shown, this means comprises a socket element of a conventional snap fastener. Further, if desired, the cross-bar may be provided adjacent its mid point 0 with a plurality of forwardly and outwardly extending spurs 2! which are capable of digging into that part of the strap lying above the bar, as may be seen in Fig. 2. From Figs. 4 and 5 it will be noted that the cross-bar I6 is given an initial set, with respect to the supporting arms, of such character that its free end 18, when unconfined, will lie behind the plane defining the rear faces of the supporting arms so as to leave an opening 22, between the end of the bar and the ends of the arms, through which a strap may be passed edgewis e, as will later be brought out.

A preferred form of shell 23 is illustrated, in a partially completed state, in Figs. 6 and 7; and there it may be seen to comprise a" single piece of sheet metal so stamped and drawn as to have a hollow dome-like portion 24, and an integral flange 25, the latter being cut away at one point to provide an arcuate opening 26.

'40 In assembling, the buckle slide member I5 is disposed within the hollow shell 23 with the front surfaces of its supporting arms I! opposing the inner peripheral portions of the dome 24; and the flange 25 is then turned radially inwardly to a position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

The completed buckle is shown inFigs.,2, 8 and 9, and from these figures it will be apparent that the radial dimensions of the flange 25 are such as to overlap the marginal portions of the supporting arms thus to confine them within the shell, and of such dimensions as to be capable of overlapping the free end l8 of the cross-bar (see Figs. 1 and 8); and the spacing between the flange and the dome is such as to permit relative rotation of the member withinthe shell. With reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the marginal portions of the dome 24 may be said to serve as a front flange, and that this flange is attached at its outer edge to the outer edge of the rear flange 25 to form a circular trough, of v-shaped cross-sectional form, in which the supporting arms are disposed. Further, and with particular reference to Figs. 1, 8 and 9, it is to be noted that the arcuate opening 26 in the flange is of such dimensions as to be capable of serving as an entranceway through which the free end 18 of the cross-bar may be passed; that is, the opening is wider and radially deeper than the comparable dimensionsof the free end of the bar.

The various operations incident to the attaching of a buckle as above defined, to a strap, are illustrated in Figs. 2, '8, 9 and 10. In such an operation, and first considering Fig. 8, the slide member |5 is rotated relative to the shell until the free end l8 of the cross-bar is in registry with the opening 26 in the rear flange. When such is done, then the free end of the bar, due to its inherent spring-like qualities and the original set of the bar, will spring backwardly so as to assume the position shown in Fig. 9, and leave an opening 22 between the end of the bar and the adjacent rear face of the flange. From this latter view it is quite apparent that a strap 21 may now be passed edgewise through this opening 22 (see Fig. 10) so that a portion of the strap will lie in front of the bar, and other portions behind the supporting arms and the rear surface of the flange. The cross-bar may now be sprung forwardly towards the buckle and its free end passed through. the arcuate opening 26 in the flange; and if the slide members then be rotated relative to each other, the free end of the bar will pass in front of the flange 25 and will then be confined between this flange and the marginal portions of the dome. Elevational and cross-sectional views of a buckle so engaged to a strap are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respecitively; and from the latter view it may be seen that the spurs 2| (where used) of the cross-bar are firmly imbedded in the strap 21 so as to prevent relative motion of the buckle in the bar. This latter feature is particularly desirable when the strap is made of rubber or compressible material, for in such cases, the ability of the strap to stretch reduces its cross-sectional area and consequently reduces its normal frictional engagement between the strap and the edges of the slide member.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, and as may best be seen in Figs. 2, 8 and 9, the portions 28 of the rear flange, 25, immediately adjacent the arcuate opening 26 therein, are flared rearwardly to a slight degree whereby to increase the spacing between the dome and the flange at such points. The purpose of this increased spacing is to aid in engaging the free end of the crossbar with the flange during the operation wherein the buckle is attached to a strap. In the course of such an operation (Fig. 10) when the cross-bar is pressed forwardly it isevident that the spurs 2| must be forced into the. strap and that the material of the strap must be compressed between the front surfaces of the bar and the rear surfaces of the flange. above referred to reduces the amount of such necessary compression, and once the free end of the bar is behind the edges of the flange at the opening, the shell may then be rotated and mu-' tual engagement between the flange and the free end of the bar achieved. During further relative rotation of the parts it is quite apparent that the flared portions of theflange, engaging the free end of the bar, will serve much in the manner of a wedge whereby the full compression is finally achieved and a very, secure engagement of the strap and the buckle accordingly results.

It will be noted that the buckle shown in Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive, includes a fastener element 20 which is adapted to engage a complemental part carried by another article in a well understood manner whereby the buckle and the strap carried thereby may be removably attached to the article. While this illustrates one very excellent use to which the invention may be put, itwill be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the principles of the invention have a much wider use. For example, if desired, the fastening element may be-entirely omitted and the buckle be used solely for ornamental purposes. Another The additional spacing well understood application for such a buckle is illustrated in Fig. 11 wherein is shown a bathing cap 30 having a strap 3| integrally attached toone side of the cap and threaded through the slide member with parts thereof behind the supporting arms and flanges and other parts in front of the cross-bar, and then reversely through a loop 32 on the other side of the cap,,and finally over and under the parts of the buckle in the manner shown. Here the purpose of the buckle is to provide for an adjustment of the length of the strap 3|, which may be accomplished in a very well understood manner.

Since certain changes may be made in the pre-. ferred embodiment of the invention and in the uses to which it may be adapted, all within the understanding of the skilled worker in the art, it is intended that the foregoing should be construed in a descriptive rather than in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A buckle of the character described, comprising a slide member having a cross-bar of spring-like material, and supporting arms extending away from opposite sides of the bar adjacent one end thereof, said cross-bar being so dis posed with respect to the arms that the free end of the former when unconfined is adapted to lie outside of the general plane of the latter; and a shell surrounding said member .having spaced flanges extending inwardly from the margins of the shell a sufficient distance to overlap marginal portions of the supporting arms and to be capable of overlapping the free end of the cross-bar, one of the flanges having an arcuate opening therein of such dimensions as to form an entranceway through which the free end of the bar may be passed, and the spacing between the flanges being such as to permit relative rotation of the member within the shell whereby the arcuate opening in the flange may be brought into, or out of, registry with the free end of the crossbar.

2. A buckle substantially as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that the supporting arms are of arcuate shape and extend from opposite sides of one end of the bar toward the other end thereof.

3. A buckle substantially as set forth in claim 1, further characterized in that the relative disposition of the cross-bar and the supporting arms is such that the free end of the bar normally lies behind the plane defining the rear faces of the supporting arms, and that the arcuate opening is in the flange which is directed inwardly from the rear edge of the shell.

4. A buckle according to claim 1, further characterized in that the one of the flanges having an arcuate opening therein has portions of such flange immediately adjacent such opening flared rearwardly to increase its spacing between the flanges.

5. A buckle according to claim 1, further characterized by the provision of spurs extending forwardly and outwardly from the cross-bar adjacent the mid point thereof.

6. A buckle of the character described, comprising a slide member of spring-like material having a cross-bar, and a pair of arcuately shaped supporting arms afiixed to the bar at one end thereof and extending towards the other end in such fashion that the outer margins of the arms lie on a common circle having a diameter substantially equal to the length of the bar, said bar being so disposed with respect to the arms that its free end is normally spaced rearwardly from the general plane of the-arms; and a hollow shell surrounding the member comprising a pair of substantially radially disposed flanges joined together at their outer edges and spaced apart along their inner edges, said flanges being of such Width as to overlap and confine the margins of the opposite faces of the supporting arms, and to be capable of overlapping and confining the opposite faces of the free end of the cross-bar, the rear one of such flanges being provided with an arcuate opening of such dimensions as to form an entranceway through which the free end of the cross-bar may be passed; and the spacing be-- tween the flanges being such as to permit relative rotation of the shell and member whereby the free end of the cross-bar may be brought into or out of registry with the arcuate opening in the rear flange.

7. A buckle substantially as defined by claim 6, further characterized in that portions of the rear flange immediately adjacent the arcuate opening therein are flared rearwardly so as to increase the spacing between the flanges in that area immediately adjacent such opening.

8. A buckle of the character described, comprising a slide member, formed from a single piece of spring-like material, having a cross-bar, and a pair of crescent shaped supporting arms extending from opposite sides of the bar at one end thereof in such fashion that the outer edges of the arms lie on a common circle having a diameter which is at least as great as the length of the cross-bar, said cross-bar being so disposed that its free end is normally spaced behind the plane defining the rear face of the arms; and a hollow dome-like shell surrounding the member with the dome serving as a confining flange for the front surfaces of the supporting arms, said shell having a marginal flange spaced from the dome and extending inwardly from the edge of the shell so as to overlap the rear surfaces of the arms along the margins thereof, and to be capable of overlapping the free end of the cross-bar, said flange having an arcuate opening therein of such dimensions as to form an opening through which the free end of the cross-bar may pass, and the spacing between the flange and the dome being such as to permit relative rotation of the member and shell whereby the free end of the cross-bar may be brought into, or out'of, registry with the arcuate opening in the flange of the shell.

9. A buckle substantially as defined by claim 8, further characterized in that portions of the flange immediately adjacent the arcuate opening therein are flared rearwardly so as to increase the spacing between the flange and the dome in that area immediately adjacent such opening.

10. A buckle substantially as set forth in claim 8, further characterized in that the crescentshaped supporting arms are so disposed and arranged as to leave two substantially parallel openings between such arms and the cross-bar through which a strap may be threaded over and under the bar.

11. A buckle substantially as set forth in claim 8, further characterized in that the crescentshaped supporting arms are so disposed and arranged as. to leave two substantially parallel openings between such arms and the cross-bar through which a strap may be threaded over and under the bar; and in which the cross-bar is provided with a plurality of spurs extending forwardly and outwardly from the sides of the bar adjacent the mid point thereof so as to be capable of engaging a strap threaded through such openings.

12. A strap fastener comprising two relatively rotatable elements mounted one within the other, the inner member comprising a. disc of resilient material having a pair of slots extending inwardly from its margin at one side toward and nearby to its margin at the opposite side, and an intervem'ng cross-bar normally deflected out of the general plane of the disc from the part from which it springs to its free end, a shell comprising portions surrounding the periphery of the disc and extending inwardly along its opporotatable elements mounted one within the other, the inner member comprising a disc of resilient material having a pair of slots extending inwardly from its margin at one side toward and nearby to its margin at the opposite side, and an intervening cross-bar normally deflected out of the general plane of the disc from the part from which it springs to its free end, a shell comprising portions surrounding the peripheryof the disc and extending inwardly along its'opposite surfaces, the inward extension along the side of the disc from which the cross-bar is deflected being of limited extent such as to form a relatively narrow flange, leaving the central part of that side of the shell open, a fastening element mounted in the cross-bar and adapted to cooperate with a complemental fastening element of another strap fastener, and a gap in the inwardly directed flange of the shell of a length slightly greater than the width of the free end of the cross-bar.

JEFFREY J. VEILLETTE. 

